Phil SingletonMany in digital media continue to underestimate the influence of Google. It’s no longer just a cool tech company; Google is now part of the global economic infrastructure. While many people are caught in the hype of social media, the plain fact is that Internet searches are what drive purchase decisions. You create demand in social media, but you capture demand and steal market share via SEO and your website. Yet even to this day big companies and tech companies often overlook SEO fundamentals.
No matter how innovative or a disruptive a new product may be, it’s more than likely solving an old problem. With old problems there is existing traffic – specifically, organic search traffic. If you can structure your website, content marketing strategy and user communities around the problem you are trying to solve, your startup website can be structured in a way to cultivate SEO value very early and get the traction you need earlier than later.
Yet, in the world of early stage startups, SEO is almost never considered in the pre-launch phase and rarely addressed post launched. In the tech startup arena, where Non-Disclosure Agreements and stealth modes still prevail, the secretive nature of high-tech startups doesn’t pair up well with look-at-me style of content marketing that dominates the digital landscape today. It’s a pity, because sometimes in those early days of being new, most startups get at least some form of spotlight. It’s in that critical time period when a lot of SEO value can not only be secured, but also positioned in a way to attract SEO rank as a startup ages.
Meet Parcel Audit Pros
One startup tech company, Parcel Audit Pros, got it right. Simply put, they developed an online solution that automatically tracks and processes UPS refunds and FedEx refunds. Money-back refunds from these shipping providers are “by request only.” So many companies unknowingly leave thousands of dollars on the table. While this may be a new concept to you, the niche is quite competitive online, and there are many large freight companies and shipping consulting companies that have offered parcel auditing for years. The business model is unique, because Parcel Audit Pros’ fees are contingency based. They only charge you a percentage of the fees recovered, and their fees are the lowest in the industry.
In this example, the founder and CEO of Parcel Audit Pros, Adam Call, was way ahead of the curve on search engine optimization. He knew early on that SEO and search engine marketing would be an important component of a successful launch and necessary to gain market traction. He knew what questions to ask SEO service providers and met with many before finding a good fit. In just a few short months Parcel Audit Pros has secured first page rankings for targeted keywords. As a rare tech company that focused on Internet marketing early on, they are getting the same organic visibility as other parcel auditing companies that have been in operation for years.
From a search engine optimization standpoint, they are still very early in the process. Yet the results of an effective SEO campaign are undeniable:
With higher rankings come more search engine page impressions and visibility:
If you have a new company or are in the early stages of launching a new tech company or web application, consider the following to get a jump start on SEO. There a many ways you can protect the confidentiality of your startup venture while still laying the groundwork for search engine performance:
- Get a website up and running sooner than later.
- Start blogging on topics about your industry and problems you are trying to solve. In other words, start building your industry authority and credibility well before launch.
- Get your social media accounts setup and active as soon as possible.
- Work on creating content and establishing a content distribution channel early on.
- Start the outreach process early so that you can find highly targeted and strategic guest bloggers for your website, as well as opportunities for your team to get published on other industry sites relevant t your niche.
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